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Peter Dutton says voice could disrupt local decision-making in Aboriginal communities
Josh Butler
Opposition leader Peter Dutton has levelled his latest criticism of the proposed Indigenous voice, raising concerns it would “disrupt” local decision-making in Aboriginal communities and “override the local elders”.
The Liberal party is still to come to a party-room position on the referendum, and appears to be in no rush to do so – but escalating criticisms from deputy leader Sussan Ley, and maintained concern from Dutton, have some inside the party speculating the Liberals could resolve a formal no position (like the Nationals) or just allow their members to campaign and vote whichever way they like. A formal yes position, according to some, seems unlikely.
On Sky News last night, Dutton pointed to his recent visits to Indigenous communities in the Northern Territory and Western Australia, as factors against the voice – claiming some areas were doing fine on their own.
Dutton said:
They don’t want to be disrupted by a voice. I mean they support a voice, they made that very clear, but they don’t want a voice that is going to disrupt their local decision-making.
The voice has the potential to override the local Indigenous elders voice, and so people are understandably – even in the communities – asking for detail.
Sky host Peta Credlin, former chief of staff to Tony Abbott, claimed “a lot of people are concerned, even when they have sympathy” towards the voice concept.
Dutton agreed, claiming there was “a rising level of frustration with the way in which the prime minister’s approached this debate”.
He said:
In some other communities, in Leonora for example, where we went in WA, huge issues around alcohol and violence etc, domestic violence, abuse of children, all of that playing out there. The voice is the furthest thing from their mind.
Dutton claimed there had been “no engagement with us through any of that process”.
PM Anthony Albanese said he has met with Dutton at least six times about the voice in recent months. Dutton has been invited to two meetings of the government’s referendum working group.
Key events
Peter Hannam
Property prices in flood-hit regions have slumped
With the anniversary of the Biblical deluges in northern NSW and south-eastern Queensland, a lot of attention has understandably been focused on the ongoing challenges facing those flood-hit communities.
Data group CoreLogic, though, has put out an assessment of what’s happened to the regions’ property prices over the past year.
Bearing in mind that capital city prices are down about 9% from their peaks (according to ANZ), it seems these regions have fared a lot worse.
Here’s CoreLogic’s assessment of the regions in northern NSW:
Perhaps not surprisingly, property prices in flood-hit regions of northern NSW and south-east Qld have slumped in the year since the deluge. Here’s the NSW view. (Source: @corelogicau ) pic.twitter.com/MNP5hxnQuQ
— @phannam@mastodon.green (@p_hannam) March 1, 2023
And the view for the suburbs around Brisbane (not quite so bad):
Kaytlin Ezzy, a CoreLogic economist, said:
While the current tightening cycle has amplified the downturn in values, the declines seen across flood-impacted suburbs are significantly steeper compared to the broader region and are among the largest suburb declines nationally.
Outside of one flood-impacted suburb in Brisbane, all other suburbs recording similar value declines were more expensive [than] Sydney suburbs, which are generally more sensitive to changes in interest rates.
Given household wealth and consumption are often linked, the slump in property prices might have a lingering effect on economic activity in the areas, it would seem.
On the other hand, would falling values attract more people to live there?
Ezzy leans towards a long-term drag, not least because of the scale of the flood events possibly precluding a rebound in property prices seen after floods in earlier years.
Given the severity of this event, and the short timeframe between major flood events, it’s likely the current value declines across the Northern Rivers and impacted house suburbs in Brisbane could be more enduring.
Notably, “homeowners, lenders and insurers are becoming more cautious of the risks associated with climate change and are adjusting their risk premiums accordingly”, Ezzy says.
Indeed, those higher risk premiums are likely to extend to other regions exposed to climate extremes in a warming world. Given Australia’s notoriously volatile climate, particularly for rainfall, that could just about take in the whole country.
Government reviewing new report on ‘gobsmacking’ sexual harassment allegations on Antarctic stations
Henry Belot
The federal government has received another review into disturbing allegations of sexual harassment and cultural problems on remote Antarctic stations, which includes “substantial” recommendations for change.
The independent report by former Swimming Australia chief executive Leigh Russell, was commissioned by the environment department in September last year. It was prompted by an earlier report by ANU Professor Meredith Nash, which raised allegations of unwanted physical contact, displays of pornography, and limited provision for women menstruating.
Environment minister Tanya Plibersek described the Nash report as disappointing and shocking. She called for urgent cultural change and the department commissioned Russell to make further recommendations to government.
“I was actually gobsmacked to read some of the reports here talking about pornographic material up on the walls [because] I really did think that we had eradicated this thing from Australians decades ago.”
Department of Climate Change, Environment and Water secretary, David Fredericks, said the Russell review makes a significant number of recommendations that need to be carefully assessed.
In a statement, Fredericks said he planned to release the report later this month:
Ms Russell’s review is a comprehensive analysis of progress on cultural change and creating an inclusive workplace, and the adequacy of systems, policies and processes to support people who work for the Australian Antarctic Division.
The report makes a substantial number of findings and it is important that we now give careful consideration to this review, its findings and recommendations.
These are complex workplace issues. our response needs to be considered and have due regard to the work, health and safety of staff.
ADF deployed to support flood evacuations in Northern Territory
Hundreds of people are being evacuated from remote communities in the Northern Territory as floodwaters threaten to isolate them.
Emergency management minister, Murray Watt, says he’s approved Australian Defence Force aircraft and personnel to assist the evacuations.
Last night I approved a request from the NT Govt to supply ADF aircraft and personnel to evacuate residents of remote NT communities that are experiencing serious flooding. I’ve been in contact with NT Chief Minister @NatashaFylesMLA to offer Federal support to keep people safe.
— Senator Murray Watt (@MurrayWatt) March 1, 2023
Peter Dutton says voice could disrupt local decision-making in Aboriginal communities
Josh Butler
Opposition leader Peter Dutton has levelled his latest criticism of the proposed Indigenous voice, raising concerns it would “disrupt” local decision-making in Aboriginal communities and “override the local elders”.
The Liberal party is still to come to a party-room position on the referendum, and appears to be in no rush to do so – but escalating criticisms from deputy leader Sussan Ley, and maintained concern from Dutton, have some inside the party speculating the Liberals could resolve a formal no position (like the Nationals) or just allow their members to campaign and vote whichever way they like. A formal yes position, according to some, seems unlikely.
On Sky News last night, Dutton pointed to his recent visits to Indigenous communities in the Northern Territory and Western Australia, as factors against the voice – claiming some areas were doing fine on their own.
Dutton said:
They don’t want to be disrupted by a voice. I mean they support a voice, they made that very clear, but they don’t want a voice that is going to disrupt their local decision-making.
The voice has the potential to override the local Indigenous elders voice, and so people are understandably – even in the communities – asking for detail.
Sky host Peta Credlin, former chief of staff to Tony Abbott, claimed “a lot of people are concerned, even when they have sympathy” towards the voice concept.
Dutton agreed, claiming there was “a rising level of frustration with the way in which the prime minister’s approached this debate”.
He said:
In some other communities, in Leonora for example, where we went in WA, huge issues around alcohol and violence etc, domestic violence, abuse of children, all of that playing out there. The voice is the furthest thing from their mind.
Dutton claimed there had been “no engagement with us through any of that process”.
PM Anthony Albanese said he has met with Dutton at least six times about the voice in recent months. Dutton has been invited to two meetings of the government’s referendum working group.
Australia Post chief: ‘We are very aware of our significant service obligations and we want to ensure we maintain those’
Graham goes on to say how Australia Post has become a “two speed business”:
We have a distinct two-speed business, with our letters business weighing heavily on the e-commerce driven parcel business where we compete with multinationals and strong local players.
We seek to gain bigger market share, but if we don’t address our letter business, that will impact our ability to service the community, not just in our mail business and parcel business, our bank of post and other broad services we provide.
We have started making change amid the challenges we face, but we want to hear from the community about what they want and how we chart our way forward as an essential service to the community.
The good news is a financially sustainable, modernised Australia Post will continue to invest to meet the changing needs of communities in metropolitan Australia and regional and rural Australia.
We are looking to continue to increase more delivery points, create more efficiency and make it easier for people to do business with Australia Post.
We are very aware of our significant service obligations and we want to ensure we maintain those, but the way in doing it is to be sure we have a financially viable Australia Post. We look forward to working with the government and all stakeholders on this process and taking the feedback to help shape the future of Australia Post for the next 214 years.
Australia Post CEO: ‘We don’t want to be a burden on the Australian taxpayer’
Australia Post CEO Paul Graham follows the minister, saying the organisation welcomes today’s announcement and wants to modernise so as not to become a “burden” on the taxpayer.
Australia Post warmly welcomes the minister’s announcement today and we support both the discussion paper and the consultation process. The discussion paper in modernising the service of Australia Post is a conversation that frankly the Australian community needs to have.
Our letters business is in unstoppable decline since 2008 and we face a difficult future as fewer people send letters and consumers increasingly embrace digital – a trend play playing out globally.
Australia Post plays a critical role in the lives of all Australians and particularly in rural and regional Australia and remote areas. That will never change.
For the past three years we invested more than $1 billion in our network, digital capability, people and services and we will continue to do that to ensure we are meeting the future and today’s needs of our customers.
But despite this, we’re on a path to significant losses as Australians and the national postal service changes. We’re an entirely self-funded business. We don’t want to be a burden on the Australian taxpayer and using the funds we would otherwise lose to ensure that the government continue to invest in the right things for the community – hospitals, schools, roads etc.
Australia Post workers to trial different delivery models
Michelle Rowland:
Lastly, I want to acknowledge the most important asset of Australia Post is its people – the 60,000 workforce.
I acknowledge the work undertaken by the Communication Workers’ Union in conjunction with Australia Post to jointly develop trials of different delivery models.
Feedback on the model will also be undertaken throughout April and June and it is vitally important the workforce is brought along on the journey, they’re properly consulted and that we understand how important they are to ensure Australia Post remains financially viable, so that their jobs, their good-paying jobs, also remain viable.
Government ‘kick-starting process to modernise Australia Post’
The communications minister, Michelle Rowland, has stepped up to speak in Sydney alongside the CEO of Australia Post, Paul Graham, announcing the launch of a discussion paper to ensure the service remains viable in the modern age.
Rowland says it’s a matter of updating the regulations in order to ensure Australia Post remains a “key driver of productivity” in the economy:
Australia Post is a cherished national institution over 200 years. It delivers to over 12 million delivery points right around Australia. It performs a range of vital community service obligations, and especially in rural and regional Australia. Australia Post not only serves as the post office, often it is the only banking service in town, the newsagent, or the retailer, so it is important.
But we know that Australia Post has been facing many challenges over a long period of time. These include the decline in letters being sent and received, and also the rise of parcels, and we know that Australia Post faces particular competition from international competitors who are coming in, building their own networks, and Australia Post needs to ensure that it remains viable.
So what I’m doing today is releasing a consultation paper on the future of Australia Post. What do consumers expect? What do small businesses need? How can rural and regional Australia be best served by this iconic institution? It’s important for Australia Post to be seen as a key driver of productivity in our economy.
It needs to be adaptive. It cannot stand still. We have seen what happens around the world to state-sponsored postal services when they fail. They fail their consumers and they fail their economies. We will not let this happen to Australia Post. That is the reason why we are kick-starting this process to modernise Australia Post.
They are currently subject to essentially the same regulatory burdens as they had 25 years ago. We need to understand the challenges that Australia Post faces, but equally we need to be transparent and listen to Australians about what they need and how Australia Post can best service them – that is the purpose of this consultation.
WA plans to open new areas for oil and gas exploration
Lisa Cox
The Western Australian government has announced it plans to open new areas for oil and gas exploration.
The state’s mines and petroleum minister, Bill Johnston, said industry could nominate areas for the state’s annual acreage release, part of a government strategy for “promoting petroleum exploration”:
The McGowan government will continue to support opportunities to invest in the petroleum exploration sector to help find the next big discovery.
We are calling for industry to get involved and help shape the future of WA’s petroleum sector.
It comes as bids are due to close for exploration permits over 10 areas covering nearly 47,000 sqkm the Albanese government announced last year would be opened for offshore exploration. At the time, the commonwealth acreage release was described as making a mockery of climate targets.
Tim Beshara, of the Wilderness Society, described the latest announcement in WA as “intergenerational recklessness”.
It’s hard to imagine a worse thing a government could do regarding climate and environment in 2023 than to lock in the carbon someone will seek to burn in 2073.
Benita Kolovos
Victorian government announces $10m for mRNA training
The Victorian premier, Daniel Andrews, has announced the government will spend $10m to establish a mRNA training centre to create a pipeline of workers to produce the next generation of vaccines and medicines.
The training centre will be based at Monash University in Clayton and will provide specialised training to workers across all aspects of the mRNA manufacturing life cycle.
Speaking at the university on Thursday, the premier said mRNA technology had the potential to be used to treat cancer, neurodegenerative conditions like MS and other conditions:
The possibilities are endless. But if you haven’t got staff, you simply can’t do the work and that will always hold us back. That’s why this $10 million investment, together with our strong partnership with Monash University in so many different ways, really does set us up strongly for the future, whether it be exports, jobs in advanced manufacturing of these therapeutics and other vaccines.
It’s not far from Moderna’s mRNA vaccine manufacturing facility currently under construction in Clayton, which once complete, will be capable of producing 100m vaccine doses annually.
The facility is being established under a 10-year partnership between the federal and Victorian government and Moderna.
It is Moderna’s first mRNA vaccine manufacturing facility to be built outside North America.
Former Coalition minister Stuart Robert to front robodebt inquiry
Stuart Robert, the human services and government services minister during the time of the robodebt scheme, will today front the royal commission on the matter.
The commission earlier this week heard evidence that the former Coalition minister told the head of his department to “double down” on robodebt rather than admit fault.
My colleague Luke Henriques-Gomes will be listening in to the hearings, and we’ll bring you what Robert has to say on the blog.
Greens say Australia Post must remain a publicly owned service
The Greens have weighed in on the future of Australia Post, with a statement from Greens spokesperson for communications Sarah Hanson-Young calling on the Albanese government to rule out privatising postal services.
Based on communications minister Michelle Rowland’s interviews this morning, she has clearly stated “Australia Post will not be privatised”.
Here’s Hanson-Young’s full statement:
The Greens will look at the consultation paper and changes proposed by the government closely.
Rumours about privatising postal services were at fever pitch under the previous Morrison Government – Labor should rule this out.
Australia Post is a publicly-owned essential service that must truly service all Australians, whether that’s in the city or the bush.
Any review must be centred on delivering what everyday households and businesses need, not simply profits that deliver big salaries and bonuses to executives.
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